Atlanta Phoenix Is Best Choice For Name Of MLS Team

Last week, that Atlanta Business Journal newspaper created a poll asking readers what they thought the name of their new 2017 MLS franchise soccer team should be. After over 1,000 entries, the results are in. With over 29% of the votes, the fans decided that Atlanta Phoenix would be the perfect name.

The top two runners-up included Premier Atlanta (nearly 17 percent of the vote) and Atlanta Blaze (more than 11 percent).

Atlanta Phoenix, referring to the bird, would fall in line with the bird-named theme of Atlanta’s Falcons (NFL) and Hawks (NBA), and it has deep roots within the city. Although not a real bird, the Phoenix was adopted as the symbol of Atlanta after the Civil War.

For those that don’t know American History, the city of Atlanta was burned to the ground during the Civil War by William T. Sherman’s Union army.

The Phoenix is embedded in Atlanta’s DNA, so much so that “Atlanta From The Ashes,” a bronze monument located in Woodruff Park, symbolizes Atlanta’s rise from the ashes of the Civil War to become one of the most important cities in the United States.

It seems fitting that its soccer team should be called Atlanta Phoenix — a team who none thought could be a reality is now very much real. They will rise from the ashes of doubt and become of the forces to be reckoned with in MLS.

About The Author

Pedro Heizer began his sportswriting career covering the Miami Heat of the NBA. Soon after, he opened his horizons and began writing about soccer in the United States on his website 90 Minutes Strong. Pedro highly enjoys watching and covering Major League Soccer and the United States Men's and Women's National Teams.